Liverpool’s summer transfer business left plenty of storylines still simmering heading into the new season, and one that refuses to fade away centres on a winger the club tried hard to sign but ultimately missed out on.
With Andoni Iraola’s side still searching for a natural right sided attacking option following Mohamed Salah’s exit, reports throughout the window linked Liverpool with a move for Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh, a pursuit that ended in disappointment for the Reds despite two separate attempts to get a deal done.
Liverpool saw bids of £50m and £60m rejected by Brighton across the summer, with the Seagulls holding firm on a valuation reportedly as high as eighty million pounds.
The pursuit came after Liverpool had also seen interest in Yan Diomande and an enquiry for Endrick fail to progress, leaving Minteh as the club’s preferred option for the position before talks ultimately broke down.
Speaking publicly for the first time on the situation, while attending Gambia’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Somalia, Minteh addressed the failed move directly.
Quoted by Gambian journalist Foday Manneh, the twenty two year old said, “I am focused.”
“I am in Brighton.”
“That is the team I am playing for.”
“That is my team and I don’t want to talk much about transfers.”
“What God has decided for me, I am happy with it.”
He added, “I am really, really eager to come back and help my team because they are doing good at the moment but if I come back, I will do my best to help them.”
The comments are unlikely to surprise many given his current circumstances.
Minteh has not featured for Brighton at all this season, having undergone surgery following an injury picked up during pre season, and remains focused on his recovery rather than speculation over a future switch.
Asked directly when supporters might see him back on the pitch, his response was similarly guarded but encouraging, simply stating, “Very soon, very soon.”
One report has suggested Brighton hope he could be available for their trip to Sunderland on 10 October, which would place a potential return to Anfield, this time in opposition colours, on the horizon before the end of that month.
Liverpool’s interest in Minteh stemmed from his profile as a right sided, left footed winger, a direct and pacey option who has contributed ten goals and nine assists across seventy three Brighton appearances.
In his absence, Iraola has had to make do with alternatives such as Rio Ngumoha, Victor Munoz, Cody Gakpo and Bradley Barcola filling in across the front line, though question marks remain over whether any of them offer the same natural fit on the right.
Notably, Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler has not entirely closed the door on a future departure, suggesting earlier this month that strong individual form from Minteh could still see him “fulfil his dream in the next transfer window.”
There have also been conflicting accounts as to why Liverpool stopped short of meeting Brighton’s asking price over the summer, with Manneh claiming Minteh’s injury became a significant sticking point late in negotiations, a claim that remains his account rather than one confirmed by Liverpool.
With Minteh insisting his focus is purely on Brighton for now, any renewed interest from Liverpool appears to hinge on two factors, his recovery progressing as hoped and his form once back on the pitch.
Should both fall into place, the January window could yet reopen a transfer saga that many at Anfield were reluctant to let go of in the first place.
🇬🇲 Yankuba Minteh breaks silence on his failed summer transfer move to #LFC from Brighton via Momodo S. Jallow of GRTS.
“𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝. 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐨𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦, 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈… pic.twitter.com/ukCigXXYYt
— Foday Manneh (@foday_manneh_) September 27, 2026
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